Holly
by Lovely Cup
Summary: "You know how when you're a kid, and you like someone, you spend all your time dreaming about them? You get butterflies in your stomach and they flutter around and mess up your words and you hate them but you love the feeling. That used to be me." Christmas themed Contestshipping, oneshot.


It was Christmas day in Jubilife City, and the world was dusted in a fine layer of snow. It covered the roofs and streets, painting everything a soft white. It swirled in the air, dancing along with the wind. Shops were lit up with lights and street musicians played cheery holiday songs. May walked on the sidewalk, the snow crunching under her heels.

Winter was definitely her favorite season, she thought as she shivered. Too bad it was so cold. She sighed, watching her breath turn into clouds of white smoke.

Tonight, she was going to a Christmas party, hosted by some famous Coordinator. After winning three consecutive contests, a Contest bigshot had come up to her and given her a fancy invitation, the kind written on thick, creamy paper with elegantly sloped cursive writing. Her first Christmas party.

She hadn't planned on attending, but a lot of other great coordinators were going to be there. Celebrities and paparazzi. She couldn't pass up a chance to meet some of the Coordinating world's biggest stars. Plus, she could use a few new friends.

She had been told that the party was black tie, so she had dressed accordingly, in a sleek black dress and heels. A small twig of holly was tucked into her hair for festivity. She flipped open her compact mirror and fussed around with the holly. Was it too childish? Most of the people there were in their early twenties. She was probably the youngest person going, at only seventeen years old.

She paused and laughed at herself. When did she start caring so much about her appearance? She looked fine, she reassured herself. Nobody cared about what she was wearing, anyways. They'd be too busy posing for pictures and getting drunk off of spiked eggnog.

She was just outside the club where the party was going to be held. Her phone told her that it was 8:10. Perfect, she'd be fashionably late.

The bouncer took one glance at her, and checked her name off of the list. She smiled, did a final check in the mirror, and walked in.

Her eyes swung across the room, looking for people she knew. The place was jam packed with people dressed in classy clothes, holding drinks and chatting amiably with each other. Everybody was well composed and well dressed, in suits and ties and long, flowy dresses. Who could she talk to?

She sidled over to a younger couple in the corner who were deep in conversation.

"...and that's when she slipped and tore her dress!" She heard the woman say.

"God, that's so horrible." The man swirled the liquid in his glass. "I can't imagine the embarrassment. How does she show her face in public?"

The woman giggled. "I've no idea. She's lucky the press wasn't all over her."

May cleared her throat, and put on her best smile. "Er, hello! Who're you guys talking about?"

The woman sent her an icy smile. "Oh, nobody you know. Aren't you a little young to be here?" She cocked her eyebrow.

"Are you lost?" the man piped in.

"Oh, no, not at all! I'm a coordinator too. My name's May, maybe you've heard of me…?"

"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell." The woman tossed her hair. May's smile faltered and fell. The man stared at her.

She knew how to pick up a hint. She obviously wasn't wanted here.

"Well, I've got to go to the restroom, so, uh, I'll see you." She awkwardly excused herself and rushed away and grabbed a glass of fizzy liquid. She tipped the glass, and felt the alcohol burn as it went down her throat. Technically, she shouldn't be drinking, but she needed something to stop thinking.

God, that was horrible. Was everybody here that bad? She frowned and toyed with a loose curl of hair. She knew lots of coordinators were snarky and gossipy(it was a tough business, after all), but she had assumed that the famous ones would be a little nicer. She was considering turning around and leaving, when someone tapped her shoulder.

She swiveled around, and in front of her stood a teenage boy with messy green hair and twinkling chartreuse eyes. He was probably eighteen or nineteen, and stood a few inches above her.

"Drew!" Her eyes lit up, shocked at the sight. Her old rival and crush was here? "I haven't seen you in years! How'd you end up here?" He was taller now, with shorter hair. And for once, he had a plain smile on his face. No smirks, no eye rolls or hair flips. Wow.

"I wasn't planning on attending, but I heard that you were coming, so I thought I'd surprise you." His eyes scanned over her. "You look nice."

She self consciously touched the holly in her hair. "Thanks. You too." He was wearing formal clothes, a rarity.

"So...this doesn't seem like your type of event." He looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he stated, "it's a high class coordinator christmas party. You don't like high class, you don't like most coordinators, and you don't like parties, from the last I remember."

She shrugged. "I've changed, I guess."

He arched an eyebrow and laughed. "I don't believe that."

"Fine, I wanted to meet some celebrities. Maybe make a few new friends."

"You wanted to make friends with stuck up full of themselves coordinators?"

"I didn't think they would be this bad." She glanced at the couple she had approached earlier, scowling.

"They're pretty horrible. And pretentious, too. What is there to talk about at a coordinating party anyways? It's a pretty lame excuse for a chance to gossip with other snotty people." He plucked an unrecognizable food item off of a servers tray, and popped it in his mouth. His face twisted up in disgust, and he spit the thing out.

"Even the food is horrible."

"It's probably just too high class for our peasantly palates," she said.

"Wow, big words. There's a pizza place down the street that makes real food. The edible stuff. Want to go there instead?" He smiled and tugged at his tie. "Plus, we can catch up a little."

Her lips curved into a smile. Her heels were killing her feet.

"Yeah, why not? I could use a slice."

* * *

The pizza shop was a quaint little thing, nestled in the heart of the city, glowing with dim yellow lights. The two had ordered a large pepperoni pizza and two mugs of eggnog, then settled down in a booth.

"To a merry Christmas," he said, as he raised his mug.

"Cheers!" She clinked her mug against his and downed the drink.

A server came by and set down their pizza in front of them. Steam curled from the cheese, emitting a heavenly scent.

"Ahh," she sighed. "I missed you, pizza." She reached for a piece and stuffed it in her mouth.

"You don't eat pizza much?" He asked as he grabbed a slice.

She shook her head. "I travel alone, and I'm a horrible cook, so I eat whatever's microwavable."

He cocked his head to the side. "What happened to Ash and Brock?"

"They're old news. I stopped traveling with them years ago."

He looked surprised. "Really? All this time? You could've gone with me, you know. You're pretty annoying, but I think I could handle it."

She kicked his leg under the table, and he laughed. She huffed, and crossed her arms. "I can take care of myself."

"I know. But if you ever do need a traveling buddy, I'm free."

"Thanks." She took another bite of her pizza. "So, what's up with you?"

"Not much, really. I traveled a bit, got a few Ribbon Cups, got more fangirls, and now my hair is being sold on eBay." He grinned. "It's a shame, some of the girls are actually pretty cute."

"You should date one. It'd be a dream come true for them."

He looked away. "Nah."

"Why not? Fangirls would be the best girlfriends ever. They'd never cheat, wouldn't mind you talking about yourself or your issues, and would do anything for you."

"But they're overly attached, creepy, and I'd never get to know any of them because they'd be too obsessed with me," he countered. "Besides, there's someone else."

"Ooh. Drew is actually interested in a girl." She giggled. All that time she had known him, he hadn't shown the slightest interest in a female. At one point, she had wondered if he was gay or asexual. Which would be sad, because she had liked him for so long.

"Shut up." Maybe she was seeing things, but it looked like his face flushed the tiniest bit red.

He swallowed the last of his crust, and stood up. "C'mon. " He beckoned for her to follow. She dropped her slice and got up.

He led her to the corner of the room, where a tiny little jukebox stood. It was dusty and cracked, but still functioning. He dug through his wallet, and popped two quarters in the old machine. The jukebox rattled to life, lights flashing and blaring.

"How about...this one?" He scrolled down the song list and selected 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'. Instantly, the song began to play, filling the room with a cheery tune.

He offered his hand to her. "Let's dance," he said.

She beamed, and took his hand. He slipped his hands around her waist, and she felt her heartbeat speed up. Was it the alcohol? No, this was something different. A warm feeling spread through her stomach. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. He's just an old friend. Just a friend. Stop making this into something it isn't.

"This Christmas turned out pretty nice. I never thought that I would see you again," she said, attempting at conversation.

"Yeah, it did." He spun her across the room. "I missed you."

"You did?"

"Mhm." He dipped her down, and pulled her back up. "I never got the chance to tell you this, but thirteen year old me had the biggest crush on you back then."

"Really?" She giggled. "So did I. You were my first crush."

"But I don't anymore. It's definitely not a crush. I'm not really sure how to explain it. You know how when you're a kid, and you like someone, you spend all your time dreaming about them? You get butterflies in your stomach and they flutter around and mess up your words and you hate them but you love the feeling. That used to be me.

But now, being with you makes me warm and comfortable. I still want to hug you and kiss you, but I don't get nervous. Around you, I'm relaxed and happy." He spoke casually, with no embarrassment, as if he was talking about the weather.

The warm feeling spread down to her toes and up to her chest. She bit her lip, trying to hold in her screams. He wanted to kiss her! She wanted to dance with joy. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to kiss him too. And run her fingers through his hair, and dance with him in the dark, and watch movies together and fall asleep on his chest. But the words couldn't leave her mouth. She wasn't as brave as him.

"I-I...me too," she stuttered out. "About all of that."

Drew's face broke into a grin, and he pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. His eyes flicked up to the top of her head, where the holly was pinned.

"Mistletoe," he murmured. He pulled her near, his body next to hers. She could feel his warmth, smell his cologne. He came closer and closer, ever so slowly. His hands cupped her face and his lips brushed hers, sending a soft tingle through her body. As he pulled away, she saw him smile.

"That's holly, you idiot," she managed to say without laughing. Her face was flushed red.

He shot her a playful grin. "I know. " He kissed her nose. "Merry Christmas, May."

* * *

I'm totally not late for Christmas or anything. Hope you liked it 3


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